I Will Always Return
by Mitsuki Horenake
Summary: He couldn't figure out if it was a nightmare or a fantasy story. Cause when he was separated with his brother, he got in return the woman that, dare he admit it, had stolen his heart.


**One-Shot breaktime from all the chaos, panic and disorder! Hello everyone, my name is Mitsuki Horenake, and I will be your host for this simple one chapter phenomena. Please keep your hands and feet inside the car at all times and please be aware that I do not own the Hetalia series or anything else. Also, please be forewarned that this whole thing might be **_**(which means it will be)**_** filled with Hetalian discrepancies, so read at your own risk!**

**By the way, one thing you should know. I was looking on Belgium's Wiki page and it turns out that she had been given some potential human names. Until he makes anything official, I'm going to use the name Anri. So for now, her name is Anri, just so you know. And again, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.**

**Lovino****- Oh crap. Here we go. Another Ita-centric…**

**Mitsuki****- Of course it's Ita-centric! Only this time…YOU'RE the main character!**

**Lovino****- Wait, what? Sweet!**

**Mitsuki****- Which means I get to abuse you in every way possible ^o^**

**Lovino****- Wait, wha-**

**ENJOY!**

**/=+=/**

He freaking hated this. He didn't want to be separated from his younger brother. They were both Italy, hence they should be taken together. There's no way in hell that they were going to be separated like this! Yet they had to be. It was the outcome of the war. His brother was going to Austria. He himself was going to Spain's arms. And there was nothing he could do about it.

"B-Big brother…" He could hear his brother cry, with that strangely high-pitched girl's voice of his. "I-I don't want to leave you!"

"I don't want to leave you either. These guys are just being freakin' bastards." He responded. "But don't worry. I'll return back to you, and we'll live together again."

"A-are you sure?"

"I promise, Veneziano. I promise."

His brother began to cry, unable to keep his composure any longer. He held him tight, wishing that he could just stop all this and live like how they used to live. But life will not be so kind. Slowly, he loosened his grip, and watched with a pained heart as his brother was taken by the Austrian. As the man turned to him, he stuck his tongue out as a final moment of rebellion.

_Austrian bastard._

**/=+=/**

He had been to Spain's house once before. Maybe twice, since he couldn't really remember the times he was here. All he knew was that when he was introduced to Spain's extremely big manor, he wasn't the least bit phased, despite the fact that he and his younger sibling had a much smaller house than this!

"Aw, you look so cute, my little tomato!" Spain chirped.

"_**Tomato?"**_ Romano spat. "What the hell?"

"What? It suits you! You're just so small and your cheeks are so red…you're like a tomato!"

"Don't call me that…"

"Ahahahaha…you're getting even redder!"

All Romano wanted to do was to throw whatever the heck these 'tomato' things were right at Spain, and see how he likes it. Maybe he could just get one of those things and just cut it _very slowly_, and watch him writhe in agony and pain as Spain screams for him to show mercy toward the small…whatever it was.

Bear in mind that at this point, he thought a tomato was an animal.

I don't know how either.

Anyhow, Romano was in the middle of his "mentally-torturing-Spain" thoughts when he suddenly realized that he had no idea where he went. While the thought of leaving a poor eight-year-old child alone in a manor sounds bad to most people, apparently Spain thought it was a good idea. Way to go, Spain. Way to go.

_Where did he go?_ He spat. _What the heck?_

He felt extremely alone, his head turning rapidly to see any signs of the damn nation. Heck, he'll take a human any day! Anything to know that he wasn't alone. Almost as if he had summoned it, there were familiar footsteps echoing from behind him. He turned his head, only to see that it wasn't Spain.

It was a blond girl with shining green eyes and a semi-long maid outfit, and by the looks of things she was cleaning up the house. He assumed that she was a maid just like he was. Suddenly, she turned his head around and finally caught eye contact with him, and he darted his head away.

"Oh, you must be the new one Antonio took in!" She walked to him with a cheerful smile on her face. "My name is Anri; it's a pleasure to meet you."

She stuck out her hand for a handshake, but Romano knew better. He turned his head away and pouted, folding his arms. The fact that she referred to Spain by his human name meant that she had to be a human. There was no way that a human would know their true identity. She chuckled.

"I figured that was going to be your reaction. Here, let me try again." She stuck her hand out again. "I am Belgium. It's a pleasure to meet you."

He looked at her in shock. A country, like him? He did have some knowledge of that land, but it didn't extend past the fact that it was a part of Spain's territory. He didn't even know that it was a girl! After a few minutes, he sighed and reluctantly took her hand.

"…Italy Romano."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Romano." She nodded. "I guess you don't like your human name, by that tone of voice."

"I don't have a human name." He spat.

"You don't? But I thought all countries have one." She blinked. "You know, to interact with humans."

"Like I would want to interact with them." He said. "We're above them, you know."

"We're only as good as the people we rule." She answered. "You're young, so I guess that doesn't make sense to you at the moment."

He didn't say much of anything to that statement, only that she was so mature and was able to deal with him and his extremely egoistic attitude. Well, he didn't think that word-for-word, but you know what I mean. Suddenly, they heard a strange voice echoing from behind them. They looked up and saw one familiar figure holding a basket filled with red orbs.

"Ah! Hello there, Antonio!" She chirped.

"Hey! Look at that! I see that you have met Anri already!" He grinned, turning to Romano. "Would you like a tomato?"

Romano stared at the round orb in front of his eyes, before slowly taking it and eating the strange vegetable…or was it a fruit? It tasted extremely good. He quickly downed the food in his hand _(much to Anri and Antonio's interest)_, took another tomato…

And shoved it right in Spain's face.

**/=+=/**

"You're growing a lot, Romano!"

"Che…thanks."

Anri grinned as she fixed the collar of his uniform. It had been a while since Spain had given Belgium her independence, and ever since then she had been visiting them less and less. More or less to deal with the fact that she is now her own country. He looked down and realized just how much he was growing as well.

"I mean, look at you…a little baby to a young boy in just a few years." She grinned. "I haven't had a growth spurt like that. And I don't think Spain had it either."

"Of course he didn't." Romano grinned. "He was too busy being an idiot!"

"I would argue with that…but that does seem like the truth."

She laughed. It was as simple as that. But what stuck to Romano the most was how the voice resonated with him. It sounded so clear, so strong…so beautiful. He felt something flip in his chest, but then again he had a few tomatoes and for all he knew it was heartburn.

"Oh yes, Romano…" She wiped away a tear. "How is finding your human name?"

"Huh?" He blinked. "What about it?"

"What? You haven't found your human name yet?" She blinked. "That's weird. I found mine when I was your age…"

"What's so important about 'remembering' my human name?" He asked. "Couldn't I just choose one for myself?"

"No, Romano…it doesn't work like that." She said. "Your human name is what ties you to your country."

"But…I am my country."

"You are now. But once before, you were a human like the people around us. I myself was human." She answered. "Out of all of them, we were chosen to be the vessel of the soul for our nations. That human name…that one crucial detail…is the only thing that keeps our humanity together."

"And what if I don't want to remember?"

"Then you'll most likely lose whatever makes you human." She answered. "And you'll never see your brother the same way again."

That statement made Romano freeze up. Part of him panicked at the thought of losing his brother yet again. Another part of him started digging through any sense of his head for any _'human name'_ that might be his. Suddenly, someone was calling them from the distance. She looked up.

"Oh, that's my ambassador." She sighed. "I'll have to go."

"W-wait." He quickly grabbed her sleeve. "Are…are you coming back?"

"…of course I will." She smiled. "I'll always come back here, Romano…"

He nodded, digging his mind yet again as he finally let her go. He watched her run toward her ambassador, her dash embedding itself in his mind forever. But that embedded memory brought up something that he was looking for. He called to her, desperate to tell her what happened, but she was already gone.

**/=+=/**

He adjusted his tie and looked at himself in the mirror. Today was the first time that he would see her in a long time, and he wanted to look his best. Of course, he couldn't choose a good outfit for this incident and resorted to using his usual khaki outfit. He looked at the mirror and tried smiling once. Twice. Three times.

_My god, I'm scaring myself._

He gave up on that and turned to the door, feeling a familiar presence at the other side. He threw the door open, just to see Spain about to knock on his door with that "derp face" on him. He started twitching uncontrollably.

"Ah! You're finally up and about, my little tomato! And I see that you are dressing yourself up!"

"_**Shut. The. Hell. Up. You. Bastard."**_

He stormed out of the room as fast as he could, going even faster when he could hear Spain trying to follow him. After rounding about five different corners _(and jumping down a flight of stairs…which is never a good move)_, he finally found himself rid of the Spaniard.

_Thank god. I got rid of him._ He spat to himself. _All right…maybe I can chill out for a while…_

"Romano? Is that you?"

That voice stopped his mindset completely. He turned his head and saw Anri staring back at him, familiar emerald eyes piercing into his. Unlike him, she hasn't changed, despite the outfit that she was wearing. He snickered, much to her amazement.

"Geez, you sure have changed." She sighed.

"I-I'm sorry, but…" He grinned. "We're wearing the same outfit."

"Eh? Oh!" She looked down at her own. "My goodness, we are!"

"Sheesh, Anri. I look better in that than you do!"

"Hey! You don't have to rub it in-" She paused. "Wait…"

"What?" He blinked.

"You…you called me Anri."

"I did. That's your name, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but…you always called me Belgium before." She stated. "I mean, I'm not complaining, but…"

"You weren't expecting it?"

"No. No I wasn't."

"Well, let's just say that I understand what it means to have a human name." He answered, somewhat embarrassed. He really hoped his face wasn't red.

"Wait…you got your human name back? That's great!" She clapped her hands together. "Are you going to tell me?"

"How about…you guess it?"

"What? Come on, Romano, tell me!"

"Ah ah! You're going to have to guess it!"

Anri pouted, but then proceeded to guess as much as she could. He couldn't help but marvel at the frustration and anger that was on her pretty face, it just…accented her, in a way none of the girls back in Italy could. He couldn't figure out what it is, but…he just knew, somewhere deep inside him…something clicked.

"Come on, tell me!"

"All right, all right!" He chuckled. "It's…Lovino. Lovino Vargas."

"What? No way, you got a last name as well?" She had a bit of jealousy in her voice, but it quickly faded. "That's great, Lovino! It really is!"

"Uh…thanks." He sighed, rubbing his cheeks. Now they were red.

"I was expecting something extremely long, like your brother Feliciano!" She laughed. "Speaking of which, have you received any communication from him?"

He froze.

"N-no, I haven't." He answered.

"Oh…well, he told me that if I were to meet up with you again, to tell you that he's doing well!" She answered.

Lovino tensed as she continued on her times with her brother. It turns out that she was hanging out between the time that she had left him so long ago to just now, and she seemed to have so much fun with him. As she sung familiar praises and talked about nothing but his cooking, he felt himself getting sicker and sicker.

"Oh, but that doesn't mean that I didn't think about you!" She quickly stated, realizing that she was rambling. "I'm sorry, I just thought that you wanted to hear about your brother's condition-"

"It's fine!" He spat. He quickly calmed himself. "It's…fine."

She was about to say something when she heard Spain call her from the other end of the hallway. She turned to Lovino, lowered her head in shame, and then went to talk to him, leaving the Italian alone. He waited until he was alone again, before slamming his fists into the wall.

"_Damn it…he already has all the fame and attention…"_ He growled. _"Why did he have to take you too…"_

**/=+=/**

"No! No, you can't do this!"

"Why are you arguing this, Italy Veneziano? Isn't this what you wanted?"

Feliciano was clinging onto the sleeve of his boss, sobbing rapidly. He was so close to just dropping onto his knees and forgetting how to talk. But he had to be strong. He had to be…for him.

"Yes, but…I didn't want this if it meant that I had to give him up!" He sobbed. "Please, reconsider!"

"There's nothing I can do, Italy Veneziano. I can't hesitate it any longer. You will be going to the meeting, and that is final."

He pulled his arm from his tight grip and left with the rest of the group, leaving the poor man to sob his heart out in the shadows of the room. Was there really nothing he can do?

**/=+=/**

"Antonio…your letter sounded very worried about something. What's going on?"

Anri closed the door behind her, only to see that he was actually wiping a tear from his eyes. Out of the many times that she had been with him, she had never seen Antonio cry…not like this before. He sat down at the small table, signaling her to join him.

"Have you heard the news in Italy, Anri?"

"Um…oh yes!" She gasped. "Italy's being reunified, right?"

"Yes, it is…but that's not the worst part." Antonio lowered his head.

"What? What's the worst part?"

He didn't respond.

"What's the worst part, Antonio?"

Still nothing.

"Spain…answer me, please." She was scared, standing up. "What's happening?"

"…Italy's being reunified…under Feliciano."

"_**Just**_…Feliciano?" She gasped. "W-wait! What about Lovino?"

He didn't say a word.

"Lovino! What's going to happen to him? Spain, answer me! Please!"

Anri was crying now, yet still was answered with a lowered and shaking head. She lifted her hand to her lips to cover her mouth as she slowly sank in her seat. If the two sections of Italy are going to be reunited under only one person…

"They…they can't do that…they can't do that to him, Antonio."

"We've all tried our best to keep it back. Me, Roderich…Feliciano." Spain sighed. "But there's nothing we can do now."

"…when is it going to be?"

"Any minute now."

Unbeknownst to them, Lovino was listening just outside.

**/=+=/**

Feliciano was forced to be in this room. There were almost hundreds of these men in the room, all deciding the fate of him and his older brother. It was so weird to think about it, how people with such short life spans can change the lives of countries forever.

They were talking about something he couldn't understand. They were writing something down on a piece of paper. How calm and collected they were! How oblivious are they to the fact that they were going to end someone's life so innocently! How could they live their lives after this?

It was over now. All they needed to do now was sign it. Then Feliciano would be all that's left.

**/=+=/**

_Damn them all! Damn my brother, damn the bosses, damn damn…__**BLOODY DAMN!**_

Lovino started kicking every tree in sight. He couldn't freakin' stand being in the same house with them! How DARE they keep this a secret from him! How _DARE_ they just sign him away like he was nothing but property. How _**DARE**_ they do this to him! _**HOW DARE THEY!**_

He was screaming at basically everything at this point. After the screaming came the biggest sense of dread he ever had. Ever since he had become a nation, he had never thought how he was going to die. Now here he was, practically hovering on Death's Door, waiting to go through it at any minute!

_God…damn…everyone…_

How many times had he been overshadowed by his younger brother? And for what reason? That he was younger? That he could cook a lot better than he could ever? That he looked a lot cuter than him? God dammit, they shared the _**same freaking FACE!**_ How could Feliciano be cuter?

"God damn this world **STRAIGHT TO **_**FUCKING**_** HELL!"**

He forced himself not to cry. Nations have to be strong, even in the verge of death. They must not cry. Lovino Vargas must not cry! He's more of a nation than his brother could ever be! He paused. When did he started to hate his brother? He never figured that out. Or rather…he never hammered down the answer.

"_He took everything…he took everything from me."_

That was his answer. Feliciano had taken everything. He received all the love, all the attention, all the joy that a nation…heck, even a human rightfully deserved. Meanwhile, what did he get? Nothing more than praise toward his brother and the term "if you were more like him"…

He thought of the Austrian bastard that took his brother in. He thought of the Hungarian woman that always seemed to be around them. He thought of that blond young boy that hung around his brother a lot. He thought of the Spaniard that took him in for whatever reason it was. He thought of the damn leaders that did all of this damage…

He thought of Anri.

Needless to say, the very simple mention of her name gave him strange chills down his spine, different from those of his upcoming death. Images of her started dancing in the back of his mind for reasons he couldn't understand: her shining, golden hair…the eyes that seemed to sparkle even in the dark…the very way she walked…how her smile can even calm him down.

He felt calm at the image, even when he found himself coughing uncontrollably. He shivered as he lifted his hand away, viewing the blood spatters that coated his palm like tomato sauce. _So it's finally time._ The whole thing had been sorted out.

He looked to the sky and closed his eyes.

**/=+=/**

_Where could he be?_

Anri started to dash around the building, calling out for the Italian. Ever since Antonio had told her his face, she had been running rampant for Lovino, desperate to be with him at this final hour. What was calling her feet to run past what her human body limited her to do?

_I was so blind…I can't believe that I figure this out now!_

She had been taught by a lot of her human counterparts that most people recognize the odd feeling known as love in the most desperate times of our lives. This was one such time, right when he was on the brink of oblivion, that she knew that truth. It was like some extremely bad Shakespearean play, reaching to its final conclusion. All she needed was the corny music.

_Lovino…where are you?_

Part of her mind ordered her to run out of the building…search for him there. She obeyed, running as far as her feet can go. Instantly, she remembered a scene from so long ago. He was still a child, and she was talking about the importance of human names. _Maybe he was there…?_

Before she knew it, she was already there. Breathing heavily, she noticed the familiar figure of a young man looking up into the sky. He looked calm and serene, something she had only seen once before, before coughing so violently that she could hear him from her location. He fell toward the ground.

She screamed.

**/=+=/**

Whatever was running her muscles at this point gave her the energy to run toward him and view the scene that she didn't want to see: Lovino, helpless and on the brink of death, unable to be saved. She scooped him up in her arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Lovino? _**LOVINO!"**_ She shook him once. "Y-you're not dead…you're still alive, right? Lovino…?"

Another violent cough caught her off guard, and she saw as his eyes slowly twitched open, his eyes a dead green. She sobbed, and he turned his head to see that he was being held in her arms. She was warm to the touch, just like he found himself imagining.

"_Hah…aren't I a sorry sight…?"_

"You're going to make it, Lovino. Please, don't worry." She said, keeping her voice intact. "They're just talking about the unification…they haven't-"

"_I'm not a kid anymore, dammit. They already signed the contract."_ He sighed. _"There's only one Italy now."_

"No…no, there's still hope! They can't be done now!"

"_Tch…who's the naïve little child now?"_ He looked to the sky. _"Besides, Feliciano is still alive, right? He's the better half, isn't he?"_

"No, that's not true!" She exclaimed. "I never thought of you that way!"

"…_Liar."_

"I'm not lying…" She sobbed. "I-"

She froze. It wasn't because she didn't know how to phrase it; it was because she didn't know how to say it. For some stupid reason, she was only fluent in her native Dutch tongue, still learning in Spanish and Italian. Spain knew fluent Dutch, so talking to him wasn't hard. Romano was a different story. The fact that he only knew Italian forced her to study the language months before he joined Spain's house. But for some equally stupid reason, she never learned to say what she had to say in Italian!

_Stupid, stupid…I'm so stupid!_

She started crying all over again, only this time to a silent yet surprised Lovino. He coughed up more blood and she panicked, holding him closer."

"_**Ik hou van jou!"**_ She blurted. _**"Van het begin af aan heb ik altijd van je gehouden!"**_

Lovino didn't respond, only watching helplessly as she sobbed her heart out. Her heartfelt confirmation would never be understood. He didn't know Dutch. She knew that. He was too impatient to learn. Knowing that made her cry even more. All she felt was a shift of his head onto her shoulder and a breath going into her ear.

"…_i__k hou ook van jou, Anri."_

She froze, hearing one last breath going down her neck. She darted her head to look in the Italian's eyes, but he had already closed them, his body limp.

It was all over.

She cried.

**/=+=/**

Feliciano watched as the men stood up from their seats, ready to go into other business now that he was only one country. They were oblivious to the fact that they had just ended an innocent life, all for political reasons. They even sounded happy about it! What was there to be happy about?

Quietly, he inched toward the signed document and read what was on it. There were thousands of written words on it, but he finally found one that he wanted to see: "Agreements". He picked up the quill, still in ink, and while looking up wrote only three words.

"Resta con mi."

_**Stay with me.**_

**/=+=/**

She didn't know how long she was crying. All she knew was that she was holding onto what was left of Lovino, the man that she had thought she was teasing but only now knew it was otherwise, the innocent soul that she wanted to spend the rest of eternity with.

_How can I be so stupid? How can I be so BLIND?_

She held him close, not really caring for much that his blood was rubbing off on her cheeks. Who cares anymore? Who really does? They loved each other, he was dead, she was not. That was all that mattered…and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Hey! You look really stupid, crying like that!"

The voice was childish, almost innocent, but nonetheless it brought up a whole mess of rage in her blood. Did he not know what it meant to hold a dead man in his arms? Was this not the era where war made brothers die in each other's limbs? She darted up, ready to give him a mouthful she knew she was going to regret…

And froze.

It was Romano…only back as a child.

"…Lovino…?"

"What? Who were you expecting?" He said _(in fluent Dutch, no less!)_. "An angel? Cause wings are hard to get these days."

She didn't care. All she knew was that she was lowering her arms as the child walked toward her with open arms and a smile. And when they were close, she hugged him, unable to let him ago.

**/=[MEMO…wait, wrong story XD]=/**

**[**Ik hou van jou**] DUTCH- **_I love you_

**[**Van het begin af aan heb ik altijd van je gehouden**] DUTCH- **_Ever since the beginning, I have always loved you._

**[**Ik hou ook van jou, Anri**] DUTCH- **_I love you too, Anri._

**/=+=/**

**So yeah, I know there are factual inconsistencies in this! This took place during the Reunification of Italy, so I know that as a fact. I was just writing at the spur of the moment, if you would like to phrase that correctly. I mean, Germany and Prussia was reunified under Germany, and I always wondered how Prussia was still alive despite that. Also, this is my explanation why the Italian bros look more like twins than older and younger brothers~ :D**

**And if you want me to ruin the ending for you, please bear in mind they were hugging over Lovino's former dead body XD**

**chibi!Lovino****- Wha-HEY!**

**Mitsuki****- What's up with you?**

**chibi!Lovino****- Why the hell am I still in this child form? I thought I was going to be back in my body by the time this is over!**

**Anri****- Aw, but you look so cute like this!**

**Mitsuki****- How about this? If the readers review, chibi!Lovino gets to huggle them!**

**chibi!Lovino****- How the hell does that help me?**

**Mitsuki****- The more huggles you get, the closer I get to deciding whether or not to return you to your body.**

**chibi!Lovino****- …please review.**


End file.
